Ketel Won Sires First Stakes Winner

Son Kia Won takes Sunland Park stakes for New Mexico-breds.

StallioneSearch.comApril 6, 2013

Three-time champion and second-crop sire Ketel Won sired his first stakes winner on Saturday afternoon when Kia Won defeated a field of 2-year-old New Mexico-breds in the $50,000 New Mexican Spring Fling Stakes (R) at Sunland Park.

Under jockey L. Salvador Martinez, the gray colt broke his maiden in his second career start while covering the 300 yards in :14.939, a 92 speed index. He picked up the winner's purse of $30,000 for the effort. Eduardo Gonzalez trains Kia Won for Nahum Prieto and Joe Rios. Rios purchased the colt in the 2012 Ruidoso New Mexico Bred Yearling Sale for $5,000 from his breeders, Mr. and Mr. R.C. Jones. He is out of the Major Rime mare Major Kia.

From a limited number of starters in two crops to reach the track, Ketel Won has sired six winners, one stakes winner and two stakes-placed runners with earnings of more than $271,000. Among his get are the aforementioned Kia Won SI 92, An Absolut Diamond SI 96 ($54,858 to 3, 2013, 3rd Shue Fly Stakes-RG2), Won For The Road SI 92 ($9,982, 3rd Cherry Creek Futurity-G3), Krazy Good SI 93 ($42,961 to 3, 2013), etc.

Bred and raced by R.D. Hubbard, Ketel Won, a son of champion and world champion sire Stoli, won or placed in 15 of 19 career starts, earning $651,740. His was named champion aged horse and twice named champion aged stallion. Trained by Paul Jones, he won The Championship at Sunland Park (G1), the Zia Park Championship (G1) twice, the All American Gold Cup (G3) twice and Higheasterjet Handicap.

Purchased by Chad Hart last year, Ketel Won stands at Hart Farms near Kaplan, Louisiana, for a 2013 fee of $1,500.